As city sets aside money for water purchase, Golden State refuses to budge

December 14, 2012 10:16 AM

As the city moves forward with water acquisition, the Claremont City Council Tuesday has allocated more money to help fuel the fight.

The Claremont City Council Tuesday allocated an additional $300,000 of unassigned General Fund money to the city’s water acquisition account, established by the council last month.

The council also approved allowing City Manager Tony Ramos to use $150,000 of the acquisition fund, currently at $600,000, for the preparation of an environmental report needed for the water acquisition. Another $150,000 will be used to hire the consultant that will conduct that preparation. The rest of the money will be used to contract “additional consultants, experts and legal counsel for the City’s acquisition and operation of the Claremont District Water System,” according to city officials.

Golden State Water officials remain adamant that the efforts are for naught.

“As we have stated many times, the Claremont water system is not for sale,” said Denise Kruger, Golden State Water’s senior vice president of regulatory utilities. “It is disappointing that city officials are prepared to continue spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars that can be better directed elsewhere.”

Claremont officials and Golden State Water representatives will now head into negotiations following the water company’s rejection of Claremont’s $54 million dollar offer. When these conferences will commence is unknown at this time.